Sharp HealthCare and the union representing thousands of its frontline health care employees have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year collective bargaining agreement, it was announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes not long after 92% of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West members voted to authorize a five-day strike. The union — which includes around 5,000 workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Sharp HospiceCare, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus — will hold a ratification vote next week.
Among the terms of the agreement are new wage scales based on overall job class experience, reduced premiums for workers needing family medical coverage, and a labor/management retirement committee that will meet quarterly "to address the need for significantly improved retirement benefits for all Sharp employees," according to SEIU-UHW.
Sharp HealthCare released the following statement: "Through a spirit of cooperation and determination to reach a deal capping a negotiation process that began approximately 18 months ago, the teams solidified an agreement that respects, values and rewards our Sharp team members and allows the parties to turn the page and focus on the future with a renewed commitment to ensuring high-quality care continues at Sharp HealthCare. We are gratified that our common interests took center stage in the end, resulting in a mutually agreeable contract."
